A recent study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, links sugary soft drink consumption to an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

Noel T. Mueller, MPH, the author of the study and a research associate at the Cancer Control Program at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. notes:

“People who drank two or more soft drinks a week had an 87% increased risk — or nearly twice the risk — of pancreatic cancer compared to individuals consuming no soft drinks.”

Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is bad, mmmkay?

In 2009, 42,000 people in the US were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates about 35,240 expected deaths from the disease.

According to the American Cancer Society, pancreatic cancer is a very serious disease with an 80% mortality rate after one year, and a 96% mortality rate after five years.

The pancreas lies behind the stomach. It makes hormones such as insulin to balance sugar in the blood and produces juices with enzymes to help break down fats and protein in foods. Sugar triggers insulin, which is thought to feed cancer cells – essentially the insulin drives the sugar into the cancer cells, which feed readily on the glucose, one of the easiest molecules to break down for quick energy.

The Study

Mueller and his colleagues evaluated 60,524 men and women enrolled in the Singapore Chinese Health Study for 14 years. The subjects were monitored from 1993 to 2007, with scientists recording various details about their diet and whether or not they developed cancer.

Specifically they were asked about their food and beverage consumption, focusing on the intake of soda, juice, and other sweetened goods. Very little of the soda was reported as ‘diet soda’.

When dietary intake of juice and soda was divided up into 3 groups – no consumption, twice a week, more than twice a week – the results seemed to indicate no correlation between pancreatic cancer and fruit juice, but a strong link with soda.

Bias

You could make a case that this study is biased since it was funded by the National Cancer Institute, and of course the American Beverage Association and soda manufacturers point out flaws in the study, but the facts still remain: this particular study did find a link between soda and pancreatic cancer, and many other studies in the past have found a direct link between the consumption of high-fructose corn syrup and cancer.

Soda is sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup.

If you have half a brain, ever read the paper, browse cnn.com, watch the news, or generally pay attention to life, you will have noticed that high-fructose corn syrup is responsible for a large variety of unhealthy side effects. From cancer to diabetes to obesity, high-fructose corn syrup can make you sick.

Conclusion

Accept it, deal with it, stop drinking soda. Also included in the list of foods to avoid: anything sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup.

You should stay far away from:

soda

sugary energy drinks

sugary cereal

sweetened juice

candy

anything else containing high-fructose corn syrup

In other news, the obesity rate in adult Americans has stopped increasing and is maintaining a steady state.